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Site 1 Prince Charles Retrofit Home
This 1948 home is being wrapped in insulation and getting a new roof with more 2nd floor space.
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Adding significant insulation, new windows, and siding.
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Homeowner, John, explains the features to visitors.
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The new roof design will add significant space to the upstairs.
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Homeowner, Stephanie, shows where the new insulation will go (visible is the old insulation).
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Site 2 Blatchford Energy Centre
The Blatchford Energy Centre is a City-owned facility that provides warm water for heating homes in the district.
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This heat pump extracts heat from the ground and upgrades it to about 20C. This is then circulated to the neighborhood.
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Blatchford district is intended to be an energy-efficient development. It is on the old municipal airport lands.
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The City's Change for Climate staff were on hand to talk about the City's climate strategy.
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Under this stormwater pond are 570 boreholes where the centre extracts heat for the district.
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Site 3 Blatchford NZE (1)
This builder is building net-zero energy townhomes in Blatchford.
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Here is the interior of one of the finished townhomes.
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Builder, Godo, explains the mechanical systems in the townhome. Ground source heat pump for heating/cooling and a heat pump water tank.
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The ground source heat pump gets it ground water from the district energy system. They don't have to drill their own holes for geoexchange.
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These townhomes use an expanded polystyrene and steel building system to make a highly-insulated basement without pouring concrete.
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Site 4 was not available in 2023
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Site 5 Highlands NZE Retrofit
This 1950's home was the first single detached home to use the Dutch exterior retrofit wall system.
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The home is rennovated from the outside only. The interior is untouched.
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A volunteer explains the new mechanical systems including an air source heating and cooling system.
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Homeowner, Jim, shows his new electric bicycle.
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After updating the exterior with new insulation, they added enough solar to the house and garage to get to net-zero energy.
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Site 6 Highlands NNZ Retrofit
This update of an older home also added a second floor for their parents.
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Homeowner, Jesse, explains how the home was built and showed construction pictures.
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All the insulation was added to the exterior so that the vintage interior of the home was untouched.
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Homeowner, Marlene, in the new upstairs suite. The staircase has provision for adding a lift for aging in place.
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A modern upstairs apartment built onto a classic old house.
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Site 7 Bonnie Doon Rebuild
A roof fire damaged the original home and it had to be completely rebuilt.
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The original walls were made with insulated concrete forms and survived the fire without damage. Everything else had to be rebuilt.
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The children had a say in decorating their rooms.
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This room has a working climbing wall. Very fun.
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The spacious new roof deck is lovely.
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Site 8 Strathcona Geothermal Building
This 32,000ft2 office and warehouse shows that commercial buildings can also go net-zero.
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Employee, Becky, shows visitors what the company does.
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 The building has 15 ground source heat pumps connected to 14,000 ft of ground piping in 48 holes under the parking lot. |
The building is all-electric and had no gas bill. Here visitors admire the solar on the south wall of the building.
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To get to net-zero they added a 248 kW solar array to the roof of the building (drone picture supplied by the company).
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Site 9 Drayton Valley NZE Retrofit
This net-zero retrofit added straw bale insulation to the exterior of the home. Note solar on the roof and the overhang for shading of the windows.
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The home is so efficient that it is heated with baseboard heaters. Note the width of the window ledge.
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The homeowner/builder did all the work himself including the finishing.
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They also added a legal basement suite. This is the common entrance in the back that goes to both suites.
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Detail of the back of the home.
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Site 10 Sturgeon County NZR Home
This family did a complete rebuild of their older home. They modified and rebuilt on the existing foundation.
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The homeowner explains the details of the home.
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The new home will have a loft bedroom above the living area.
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They are looking forward to their new office space.
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They are net-zero ready. The home is all-electric, and has a south facing roof that is designed to hold enough solar.
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Site 11 Keswick NNZ Home
This large home is very close to net-zero and has a very interesting underground earth tube system.
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High-ceiling living room with view of the river valley.
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The home features an elevator to all levels for aging-in-place and to give their parents access to their lower level suite.
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The two air handlers for the air-source heat pumps. The large pipe in the middle is the earth tube that cools incoming air in summer and preheats air in winter.
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A multi-family home with the homeowners upstairs and the parents living in a suite on the lower level.
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Site 12 Keswick NZE Home
This net-zero energy home required special racking on the roof to mount enough solar.
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The buider, Heiko, was on hand to explain the features of the home.
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This home features wide open spaces. It also has an elevator to all levels (see the brown door at the back of the second floor).
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This three-level home has extensive windows overlooking the river valley.
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Lots of balconies and patios to take advantage of the river valley view. Note the air source heat pump units on the side of the house.
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Site 13 Brookside NNZ Retrofit
Orginally built in the 1970's this home was wrapped with insulated panels, electricfied, and added solar.
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A volunteer shows details of the new insulated siding as well as her electric bicycle.
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By adding the insulation to the exterior the interior of the home is untouched. The family can live in the home during rennovation.
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In the mechanical room a volunteer explains how the systems work.
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The heating contractor was on site to explain the cold climate air source heat pump used for heating and cooling.
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Site 14 Belgravia Garden Home
This family built their retirement home in the garden and then made their old house into rental suites.
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This highly efficient garden home feature significant insulation and air-tightness.
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The new, modern spaces are designed for aging in place with wide doors and barrier-free showers.
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Taking a look at the heat recovery ventillator which provides fresh air to the home while recovering the heat from exhaust air.
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A very efficient home in the back garden.
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Site 15 Sundance Deep Energy Retrofit
The Sundance Coop is the pilot for a Dutch prefabricated wall system that wraps homes in new insulation, windows, and doors.
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The buider, Peter, explains how the system works.
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They need to extend the roof to cover the thicker walls. These roof trusses are placed directly on the old roof without removing it.
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Once the new walls are in place they update the mechanical system. Here are two of the cold climate air source heat pumps that will provide heating and cooling.
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One of the residents showed me her unit. There are 59 units in this development and they should be completed later this year.
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Want to see more?Here are the links to the 2023 Calgary and Lethbridge tour pictures.You can also see our 2021 virtual tour videos on the Videos and Definitions page. |